Price, born in Perryville, Texas, served with the U.S. Marines from 1944–1946, and began singing for KRBC in Abilene, Texas during 1948. He joined the Big D Jamboree in Dallas in 1949. He relocated to Nashville in the early 1950s, rooming for a brief time with Hank Williams. When Williams died, Price managed his band, the Drifting Cowboys, and had minor success. He was the first artist to have a success with the song "Release Me" (1954), a top five popular music hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1953, Price formed his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Among its members during the late 1950s and early 1960s were; Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall, Van Howard, Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Bush, Buddy Emmons, Pete Wade, Jan Kurtis, Shorty Lavender and Buddy Spicher. Miller wrote one of Ray Price's classics in 1958, "Invitation to the Blues", and sang harmony on the recording. Additionally, Nelson composed the Ray Price song "Night Life".
Price became one of the stalwarts of 1950s honky tonk music, with hit songs such as "Talk To Your Heart" (1952) and "Release Me". He later developed the famous "Ray Price Shuffle," a 4/4 arrangement of honky tonk music with a walking bassline, which can be heard on "Crazy Arms" (1956) and many of his other recordings from the late 1950s.
During the 1960s, Ray experimented increasingly with the so-called Nashville sound, singing slow ballads and utilizing lush arrangements of strings and backing singers. Examples include his 1967 rendition of "Danny Boy", and "For the Good Times" in 1970 which was Price's first country music chart No. 1 hit since "The Same Old Me" in 1959. Written by Kris Kristofferson, the song also scored No. 11 on the popular music chart and featured a mellower Price backed by sophisticated musical sounds, quite in contrast to the honky tonk sounds Price had pioneered two decades before. Price had three more No. 1 country music successes during the 1970s: "I Won't Mention It Again", "She's Got To Be A Saint", and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." His final top ten hit was "Diamonds In The Stars" in early 1982. Price continued to have songs on the country music chart through 1989. Later, he sang gospel music and recorded such songs as "Amazing Grace", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "Farther Along" and "Rock of Ages."
In 2006, Price was living near Mount Pleasant, Texas and still performing in concerts throughout the country. In 2009, Price made two performances for the Fox News show Huckabee. The first was with the Cherokee Cowboys and host Mike Huckabee, and he performed "Crazy Arms" and "Heartaches By The Number". Weeks later he performed with the Cherokee Cowboys and Willie Nelson (again with Huckabee playing bass guitar). This time they performed duets of "Faded Love" and "Crazy."
Price worked on his latest album, Last of the Breed, with fellow country music singers Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. This album was released on March 20, 2007 by the company Lost Highway Records. The two-disc set features 20 country classics as well as a pair of new compositions. The trio toured the U.S. from March 9 until March 25 starting in Arizona and finishing in Illinois. This was Price's third album with Nelson and first album with Haggard. After the tour, Haggard remarked, "I told Willie when it was over, 'That old man gave us a goddamn singing lesson.' He really did. He just sang so good. He sat there with the mic against his chest. And me and Willie are all over the microphone trying to find it, and he found it."
On November 6, 2012, Ray Price confirmed that he was fighting pancreatic cancer. Price told the San Antonio Express-News that he had been receiving chemotherapy for the past six months. An alternative to the chemo would have been surgery that involved removing the pancreas along with portions of the stomach and liver, which would have meant a long recovery and stay in a nursing home. Said Price, "That's not very much an option for me. God knows I want to live as long as I can but I don't want to live like that." The 87-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer also told the newspaper, "The doctor said that every man will get cancer if he lives to be old enough. I don't know why I got it – I ain't old!" Price retained a positive outlook and hoped to play as many as a hundred concert dates in 2013.
As of early February 2013, the cancer appeared to be in remission. Sometime in May 2013, Price was hospitalized with severe dehydration. On December 2, 2013, Price entered a Tyler, Texas, hospital in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, according to his son, then left on December 12 for home hospice care. Price died at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013.
Beyond the Last Mile
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say that I must hang at the dawn of the day
But why should I fear death for it's life anew
For dying only takes me much nearer to you
You left me in anger to walk by the sea
And when they found your body they blamed it on me
But you know they were wrong dear so wait for awhile
[ fiddle ]
The stars hide their face to make way for the sun
And soon death it shall claim me and make us as one
While others are walking the streets with a smile
Then I know I'll be walking beyond the last mile
The chaplain is making his last plea to God
Soon up the numbered steps to the scaffold I'll trod
My footsteps won't falter I'll walk with a smile
For I know you'll be waiting beyond the last mile
The song "Beyond the Last Mile" by Ray Price And The Cherokee Cowboys is a bittersweet ballad about a man who is about to face his execution at dawn. He watches the clock ticking away the hours and contemplates the impending death. The lyrics suggest that he is not afraid to die as death will lead him closer to his beloved, who has passed away. The man has been falsely accused of killing his lover, who died by the sea. He explains that the accusation was wrong and the truth will come out someday. He mentions that he will be executed with a smile on his face because he knows his lover will be waiting for him beyond the last mile.
The lyrics of the song are rich with poetic elements like the metaphor of the last mile, which represents the journey towards eternity. The man is not afraid of death because he believes it will bring him closer to his beloved. The song creates a world where the line between life and death is blurred, and love transcends everything.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm watching the clock tick the hours away
I am aware that time is running out for me.
They say that I must hang at the dawn of the day
I have been sentenced to death and will be executed at sunrise.
But why should I fear death for it's life anew
I am not afraid of death because it will bring me to a new life.
For dying only takes me much nearer to you
Death will bring me closer to the one I love.
You left me in anger to walk by the sea
My lover left me alone in anger to contemplate by the seaside.
And when they found your body they blamed it on me
My lover's death was attributed to my actions, but it was not my fault.
But you know they were wrong dear so wait for awhile
I know the accusations against me are false and my lover should wait for me.
For we shall be together beyond the last mile
We will be reunited beyond death's final journey.
The stars hide their face to make way for the sun
The night is fading and the day is beginning.
And soon death it shall claim me and make us as one
Death will bring me to my lover and we will be united again.
While others are walking the streets with a smile
Others may be happy, but I know where true happiness lies.
Then I know I'll be walking beyond the last mile
I am looking forward to a future beyond death.
The chaplain is making his last plea to God
The chaplain is praying with me before my execution.
Soon up the numbered steps to the scaffold I'll trod
I am going to the scaffold where I will be hanged.
My footsteps won't falter I'll walk with a smile
Even though I am facing death, I will be calm and happy.
For I know you'll be waiting beyond the last mile
I know my lover is waiting for me in the next life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ruthboykin9873
Great beautiful sad song! Thank you Tom, I don’t recall hearing this one before!
@johnn4307
Love this song never heard it before 😊
@robertaelder4842
Thank you tom for another great country song much appreciated ❤😅
@lp2565
The Master!
@billywaters.as.billythekid8498
real cool video